1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved system and method for disabling a data processing device which has been lost or stolen and/or providing a notification to whomever may find the data processing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of portable/wireless data processing devices have been introduced over the past several years. These include wireless personal digital assistants (“PDAs”) such as the Palm® VIIx handheld, cellular phones equipped with data processing capabilities, and, more recently, corporate wireless messaging devices such as the Blackberry™ wireless pager developed by Research In Motion (“RIM”).™
One problem which exists with portable data processing devices is that, due to their portable nature, they are inherently capable of being lost or stolen. While this is not as much of a concern for devices which include only limited storage capabilities (e.g., standard cell phones), it is a significant concern for devices capable of storing significant amounts of user data. For example, many portable devices are currently capable of storing various types of personal and/or business-related information, a significant amount of which may be confidential (e.g., word processing documents, e-mail messages, electronic calendar data, personal and business-related contact information, . . . etc).
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for disabling a lost or stolen data processing device to thereby prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information stored thereon. What is also needed is a system and method which will improve the chances that the data processing device will be returned to its rightful owner.